The UN chief Antonio Guterres slammed multilateral corporations for turning the world’s ecosystems into “playthings of profits” at the UN biodiversity conference, the 15th meeting of the Conference of the Parties (COP15) to the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD).
In his opening remarks, the United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres called for a peace pact with the natural world, critiquing the massive ambition of colonizing Mars and saying: “Forget the dreams of some billionaires; there is no Planet B.”
“Human activities are laying waste to once-thriving forests, jungles, farmland, oceans, rivers, seas, and lakes. Humanity’s war on nature is ultimately a war on ourselves,” he added.
Human rights must be at the centre of all environmental concerns and and namely in the work on biodiversity, @antonioguterres tells journalists at @UNBiodiversity #COP15. 📸: @UN_Photo https://t.co/ffd4Skz480 pic.twitter.com/NKVqjogckA
— UN Spokesperson (@UN_Spokesperson) December 7, 2022
The conference will aim to set forward-looking goals for nature for the adoption of the post-2020 global biodiversity framework.
He further pointed out that nearly a million species are at risk of extinction and one-third of the land is severely degraded, then urged governments to develop national action plans to preserve and protect nature.
“We need businesses and investors to put protection first in their business plans and invest in sustainable production and extraction methods across every link of their supply chains.”
At the opening ceremony, the Prime Minister of Canada, Justin Trudeau, said: “If we can’t agree, as a world, on something as fundamental as protecting nature, nothing else matters.” (Aljazeera)
Financing
Financing the plans remains a critical issue that threatens to derail the talks, with developed nations under tremendous pressure to funnel more funds to developing countries for conservation.
“We need developed countries to provide meaningful financial support for the countries of the Global South as custodians of the world’s natural wealth following centuries of exploitation and loss,” the UN chief said. (UN News)
Indigenous communities
The UN biodiversity conference revisits the global calls to put the rights of indigenous communities at the heart of this initiative, which has grown louder.
According to the widely cited 2008 World Bank Report on “The Role of Indigenous People in Biodiversity Conservation,” traditional indigenous territories account for approximately 22 percent of the world’s land and 80 percent of its biodiversity. Henceforth, the urgency of indigenous leadership is essential.
The executive coordinator of the Articulation of Indigenous Peoples of Brazil, Dinamam Tuxa, said: “Indigenous people are the principal guardians of flora and fauna, and they best know what to do to protect them.” (Aljazeera)
While “the 30 x 30 initiative” has been welcomed, it has also drawn criticism. The Secretary-General of Amnesty International, Agnes Callamard, said that “in its current form, it presents a grave risk to the rights of Indigenous peoples.”
Callamard elaborates in the statement: “Current practice in protected areas often follows a model known as ‘fortress conservation’ which requires the complete removal of human presence from the area, usually by force, so that territory can be thrown open to tourists, conservation researchers, and in some cases, big game hunters.”
She further urges governments to be considerate while formulating such laws for biodiversity conservation.